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Chief Costa: Middletown police handling roughly 35 wellness and mental-health calls weekly
Summary
Chief Costa told the Public Safety Commission that partnerships with health providers and training expansions are being used to respond to about 12 emotionally disturbed-person calls and roughly 23 well-being checks weekly, and that the department plans additional data transparency and social-work approaches.
Chief Costa told the Middletown Police Department Public Safety Commission on Dec. 15 that the department has seen a sustained number of mental-health and well-being calls and is strengthening partnerships and training to respond.
"We average approximately 12 emotionally disturbed person calls," Chief Costa said, adding that the department also averages "23 calls a week in that realm," which he combined as "together... 35 calls of service per week" involving well-being checks or mental-health responses. He said the department has met with Middlesex Hospital's psychology department and River Valley Services to coordinate crisis response after a cluster of suicide attempts in late October and early November.
The chief described ongoing Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) work and a social-work program intended to make responses more appropriate for people in crisis. He said the department will increase data analysis and transparency, including hotspotting, so resources can focus on emerging problems before they grow.
Why it matters: Commission members were told that this workload is substantial for a city the size of Middletown and that the department is investing in training, interagency partnerships and internal supports to reduce risk and improve outcomes. Chief Costa said the approaches are part of longer-term efforts to move from reactive responses to more preventative supports.
The chief attributed some of the demand to opioid addiction, homelessness and other social determinants and said the department will continue to engage community stakeholders, including St. Vincent de Paul and local shelter providers, to find housing and basic services.
Next steps: Chief Costa said he will continue coordination with health and social-service partners and that the department will report back as data from expanded analysis becomes available.
